Writing and Gardening Have Plenty in Common

The roses are in full bloom, and the heat is rising here in the Northeast. I was once very passionate about gardening. You could often find me out in the yard from morning until dusk when I wasn’t at my office job. I still enjoy tending the flowers, but now I prefer to work on my next book.

Staying with the topic of gardening, it’s easy to see the parallel between writing and gardening.

With gardening, you plant a seed, nurture it with water until the plant blossoms into something beautiful. And then you prune and weed.

Here’s a brief photo tour of a few of our roses.

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In writing, I begin with a seed of an idea, cultivate it into a fuller story that will grab your attention. But I haven’t finished the tale until the pruning or editing takes place. Some writers say that’s when the real work of a novel begins.

I’m a discovery writer, which means that I’m not working from a detailed outline. I discover the plot of a story by writing it, just as you, the reader, will discover it by turning a page.

As of now, I’m about ten chapters into the first draft of Book 4, tentatively titled Elthea’s Nemesis. I hope you enjoyed the last story, Elthea’s Paradox, and that you can’t wait for the next installment. If all goes as planned, I expect to have Elthea’s Nemesis ready by the end of this year.

Thank you as always for staying connected with me through this monthly blog post.

Until next time,
John